Suspect Attempts Shoeless Getaway From Cops

February 19, 2013

Gregory Allen had more than $1,000 in the shoe he lost while allegedly fleeing police on Wheeling Island early Monday, but he was able to hold on to a shoe that police say was filled with crack cocaine and marijuana.

Ohio County Magistrate Joe Roxby arraigned Allen Monday on a charge of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The 25-year-old Bridgeport resident remained in the Northern Regional Jail in Moundsville in lieu of $20,000 bond late Monday.

According to court documents, Bridgeport police had Allen's vehicle stopped around 1:30 a.m. Sunday on Wheeling Island in a traffic stop that originated in Ohio. By the time Wheeling police arrived at the scene, Bridgeport officers had detained Allen because of Belmont County warrants that warned he was armed and dangerous, and because Allen kept "reaching under his seat" during the traffic stop.

A Wheeling police K-9 unit was called to the scene after Allen admitted he "smoked a little roach" in his car, and although the dog indicated there were drugs in the vehicle, officers did not locate any.

Police pulled Allen from the cruiser and searched his person. When they asked him to remove his shoes, which were untied, Allen allegedly ran from the scene.

He sprinted through the streets of Wheeling Island, losing a shoe in the process, before officers found him on the porch of 120 S. Wabash St.

Officers reportedly witnessed Allen attempt to retrieve something from his shoe, then discard those items over the side of the porch.

Officers searched the area and recovered crack cocaine and marijuana. They also recovered Allen's other shoe, which reportedly contained $1,155.